Oil rises as German business confidence improves

Benchmark crude for January delivery rose 24 cents at late afternoon Bangkok time to $88.17 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

By PAMELA SAMPSON
The Associated Press

12/19/2012

BANGKOK — The price of oil rose Wednesday as a key measure of German business optimism showed slight improvement.

Benchmark crude for January delivery rose 24 cents at late afternoon Bangkok time to $88.17 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

A survey by the Ifo institute said its main index rose to 102.4 from 101.4 the month before. The survey shows growing confidence in the German economy, based on a poll of 7,000 business executives.

Many economists think Germany will avoid a recession before growth improves next year. That could lead to rising demand for energy in Europe's biggest economy.

Prices rose Tuesday on a growing belief that political leaders in Washington could soon reach a budget compromise to avert the series of spending cuts and tax increases that take effect on Jan. 1. The contract finished up 73 cents at $87.93 a barrel on the Nymex.

Some traders are now taking it for granted that a deal will be reached.

"I think people are looking past the fiscal cliff," said Chris Weston of IG Markets in Melbourne. "A good outcome in the fiscal cliff is largely priced in."

Brent crude, which is used to price international varieties of oil, rose 57 cents to $109.41 a barrel on the ICE Futures Exchange in London.

Capital Economics said oil prices were ending 2012 on a "lower note, partly due to fears over the 'fiscal cliff.' " Other factors that pointed to lower oil prices in 2013 are steady but not spectacular U.S. economic growth, and sluggish growth in Japan and Europe — which together use roughly the same amount of oil as the U.S.

"Elsewhere, growing demand from China and other emerging economies might cushion the downside, but we don't expect it to be enough to provide much of a lift," Capital Economics said in a market analysis.